“Take the high road; it's far less crowded.”- Warren Buffet
CROSSFIT GAMES
CrossFit HQ Rules Nordic’s Viktor Langsved Ineligible, Allows Team to Compete with Alternate
CrossFit HQ ruled that Viktor Langsved, a member of CrossFit Nordic Original’s team, was in violation of Affiliate Cup Eligibility Requirements, and was disqualified from competing June 10 – 12 at the Strength in Depth Semifinal. The ruling concludes a weeks-long investigation pouring through Langsved’s bank statements, voice recordings, videos, social media posts, photos and gym logs.
“After rigorous investigation, including a thorough review of all materials provided by the athlete and other individuals, it was determined that the athlete in question did not meet the eligibility requirements and would be disqualified from competition. Despite that finding, CrossFit has determined the affiliate team is still eligible to continue to compete in the season with an alternate filling that team member’s position,” said Andrew Weinstein, CrossFit’s head of communications and public policy.
One big thing: CrossFit ultimately decided to rule only Langsved ineligible and not the entire team, and instead allow their alternate, Erik Bjork Rubio, to take Langsved’s place, establishing an important precedent for how situations like this could be handled in the future.
“Please let us know if you would like to add Erik Bjork Rubio to your team Semifinal roster,” wrote Kurtis Bowler on May 27, the lead investigator for CrossFit in this matter.
Why is he ineligible? The CrossFit Games rulebook outlines specific eligibility requirements created to ensure that all members of a team are active members of that affiliate. The rule was implemented to roll back the creation of super teams during the brief Sanctional season format where athletes from anywhere in the world could compete together on the same team.
Rulebook section 1.14 requires that members of a team are “active members of the affiliate” and “are regularly training at the affiliate,” and specifically requires that all athletes “live within 100 miles of the CrossFit affiliate they are representing” by January 13, 2022.
Langsved lives 98.5 miles from CrossFit Nordic according to Google Maps, satisfying that specific requirement.
CrossFit determined that he is not an “active member”, however, because he could not show “enough verified training days to be considered eligible for the team,” according to a May 26 email from Bowler.
“We used May 10th as the cutoff date for consistency. He had 30 confirmed days out of 75. If we used May 23rd as the cutoff he would have 35 days out of 83 possible training days. Neither of these get us to the 51%,” Bowler also stated in the same email.
Langsved, in a lengthy Instagram post, voiced his innocence and frustration with the process, writing: “We have provided with everything you have asked for. We sent you a file with more than 1GB worth of evidence. Pictures, clips, bank transactions, parking tickets, lunch receipts, attendance logs…but you just don’t think that is enough proof for you to just let me continue this season.”
“The evidence we have provided you with is way more than the rulebook demands,” Langsved continued.
The big picture: CrossFit has provided some critical information for teams looking to navigate the eligibility process going forward, but also demonstrated a willingness to thoroughly investigate eligibility claims brought to their attention.
Teams must be prepared to prove that they meet all eligibility requirements, especially demonstrating status as an active member and regularly training at that affiliate, rather than CrossFit proving they are ineligible.
“Not only must team members be able to prove they live within 100 miles of the CrossFit affiliate they are representing, they must also be able to demonstrate they are active members of the team’s affiliate and are regularly and primarily training at that affiliate,” Weinstein clarified in an email.
Bowler cited that they were looking for proof of at least 51% of available training days to determine eligibility.
The bottom line: Take a lot of photos and be prepared to hand over evidence at any time, and take Bowler’s advice: “For the remainder of the season, the simplest solution would be to have your members take a picture in front of the CrossFit Nordic logo in the gym any time they train.”
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In case you missed it: Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, sat down with 2022 CrossFit Games qualifier, Haley Adams, about her showstopping performance at the Syndicate Crown. 🤩
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A letter to my 15-year-old self: Kara Saunders posted a heartfelt note on Instagram with a picture of her lugging two 124-pound kettlebells during “Strongman Diane” at the 2022 Torian Pro, reminding young people to define their own happiness and never fall victim to the limitations that others have placed on themselves. She said:
” 15-year-old me just didn’t understand why I had to be different. Why were my legs bigger than the boys at school and why was I so muscular?”
“32-year-old me looks at this photo with so much pride and gratitude. I see a badass chick who decided that an attitude like that had no place in my life! What an absolute missed opportunity that would have been!”
2022 Adaptive Semifinal workouts released: All six workouts for the Adaptive Semifinal have been released. The first half of the virtual Age-Group Semifinal kicked off May 26-29 with the teens, 35-39, 40-44, and 45-49 age divisions. The remaining age groups plus adaptive divisions will compete this weekend, June 2 -5 to determine who will earn a ticket to the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
LIFESTYLE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Kaitlyn Johnson Qualifies for US Swimming Nationals by Training CrossFit
CrossFit prepares you for life.
Picking up heavy moving boxes, carrying all your grocery bags in one trip, or running from a grizzly bear, all that time spent in the gym is designed to give you a leg up in whatever life throws your way.
And maybe it can also prepare you for the Olympic Trials?
32-year-old Kaitlyn Johnson, a former Clarion University swimmer, signed up for a local swim meet last month on a whim–her friends were out of town, so why not? She entered herself into the preliminary competition, not even gunning for a spot in the finals. But, almost six years after quitting competitive swimming, Johnson surprised herself.
Johnson ended the day with a 25.82 second 50-meter freestyle, qualifying her for both summer and winter US Swimming National Championships. According to Johnson, this is the largest, most prominent competition in non-Olympic years. Surrounded by athletes that solely train in the pool, day in and day out, Johnson’s secret isn’t a special stroke or a practice technique. It’s CrossFit.
Nevada Affiliate Offers Subsidized, Free Training to Adaptive Athletes, First Responders, Military, Nurses, Teachers
Greig Jameson always knew he wanted to do something to help children with disabilities, but he wasn’t sure how or what. Then in 2011, weighing more than 300 pounds, Jameson found CrossFit and so began a journey that led him to lose 80 pounds.
That’s when the wheels started turning.
Having grown up in a family of first responders and teachers, and as an adult finding himself surrounded by many first responders and military veterans, Jameson immediately saw how the fitness and social aspects of CrossFit could help first responders and military veterans, as well as children with disabilities all at once.
These thoughts were the foundation of his gym, Upstate Nevada in Reno, NV, a non-profit CrossFit affiliate that offers reduced prices or free training to people they define as “everyday heroes.”
How to Watch: The 2022 Far East Throwdown Semifinal and Schedule of Events
The 2022 CrossFit Games Semifinals stage enters week three this Friday, June 3 and the Far East Throwdown brings together the fittest individual men and women, and teams in Asia. The three-day competition will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in Busan, South Korea and the top finisher in the men’s, women’s and team division will advance to the CrossFit Games later this summer.
Here’s a complete roster of the 26 men, 28 women and 16 teams who are competing.
Bookmark our Far East Throwdown competition coverage hub with schedule, leaderboard and analysis.
Live broadcast: There will be a basic livestream of this event, provided by the Far East Throwdown.
We will include links to the livestream here when they become available.
The Morning Chalk Up Coverage: The MCU team will be providing complete coverage of the competition with exclusive athlete interviews, behind-the-scenes, in-depth coverage, highlights, analysis, images and daily recaps on our website, and on our official YouTube channel and Instagram page.
Subscribe and sign-up for alerts and updates on the latest content as it’s posted.
COMPETITION
How to Watch: The 2022 Granite Games Semifinal and Schedule of Events
The 2022 CrossFit Games Semifinals are halfway done and week three starts on Friday, June 3. In North America, that means the Granite Games, the third of four Semifinal events on the continent. The three-day competition will be held at the TCO Stadium in Eagan, MN and the top five finishers in the men’s, women’s and team divisions will advance to the CrossFit Games later this summer.
Here’s a complete roster of the 30 men, 30 women and 20 teams who are competing.
Live broadcast: A live broadcast of the event will be hosted on the CrossFit Games YouTube channel and the CrossFit Games homepage.
We will update this page with livetream links once they become available.
The Morning Chalk Up Coverage: The MCU team will be providing complete coverage of the competition with exclusive athlete interviews, behind-the-scenes, in-depth coverage, highlights, analysis, images and daily recaps on our website, and on our official YouTube channel and Instagram page.
Subscribe and sign-up for alerts and updates on the latest content as it’s posted.
THINGS TO...
...WATCH
Danielle Brandon Crush The MACC
Last weekend, the Buttery Bros were down in Knoxville to watch Danielle Brandon (and some more familiar favorites) book a ticket back to the Games. Go behind the scenes at the MACC and see some fitness, some friends, and some quality pancakes from an unexpected source.
Did you watch the Semifinals and wonder what Danielle Brandon and Dallin Pepper (as well as a ton of others) had in their mouth? The AIRWAAV Performance Mouthpiece improves breathing, endurance, and strength by creating the optimal airway opening. Try it for yourself and see why it's showing up on the competition floor.
Let’s set the record straight: The cracking sound does not lead to increased joint degeneration, you were probably told that so you would stop cracking your knuckles as a kid. But where does the noise come from? And when should you start to show concern?
The WHOOP 4.0 is smaller, smarter, and designed with new biometric tracking to provide real-time feedback on your Sleep, Training, Recovery, and Health. Sign up this month for just $0 and you'll not only get an extra month's membership and WHOOP 4.0 for free, but you have a chance to win some awesome WHOOP prizes as well.
Weight gain or loss tends to be oversimplified as laziness, gluttony, big bones, or bad genes. While some genes play a role in how we store fat and access energy, there may be a more important issue at play...our baseline hunger.
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise. Send us a highlight.
🏆 Olivia Kerstetter talliedanother win with her 1st place finish in the 16-17 Girls Division of Age Group Semifinals. Congratulations to all of the Age Group Semifinal athletes that competed in Week 1, and to those that qualified for the CrossFit Games this August.
Apparently, for Annie Thorisdottir, fitness runs in the family. Check out these strict supinated pull-ups by Annie, her father, and her grandfather.
Olympic Weightlifter Vadim Kozevnikoc from Latvia attempted 438 pound/199kg clean and jerk— though the jerk didn’t pan out, that’s one heavy squat clean!
Kyra Milligan hit a 225 pound/102kg complex in Event 1 of the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge— good enough for second place in the event and an eventual 14th place overall.
👏 Congratulations to 12-year-old Kyla Breslin from Doughboy Strength and Conditioning in Lowell, MA on her progression from learning to kip to first bar muscle-up in only three weeks.
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